.......Kim Lyons
Rayco “War” Saunders says he wasn’t trying to intimidate anyone with his “Stop Snitchin” T-shirt, and that the shirt’s meaning is largely misinterpreted.
Saunders, of Beltzhoover wore a “Stop Snitchin’” shirt into the Allegheny County Courthouse on Oct. 4. Then he refused to cooperate with prosecutors or testify, which led to charges being dropped against the three men accused of shooting him: Keilan Walls, 29, Shawn Davis, 25, of
But Saunders said the shirts’ logo is not aimed at innocent bystanders, who he thinks should alert police when they’re victims of crime.
“Stop Snitchin’ is a warning for the guys that are police informants but still stand on the corners selling drugs,” he said. “The shirt doesn’t say, ‘don’t talk to the police,’ or ‘don’t tell the police,’ or ‘don’t talk to the police.’ Stop Snitchin’ is a slang word a lot of street guys use. You have to look at the context.”
But authorities say the shirts amount to witness intimidation and are not acceptable, especially in open court.
Mike Manko, a spokesman for Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zapala declined to respond directly to Saunders’ comments.
“All I can say is, anything that even hints at threats against a witness or witness intimidation is going to be aggressively pursued and, when appropriate, prosecuted by this office,” Manko said.
Saunders said he’s trying to get away from the street life that led him to serving four years in state prison. He’s a competitive boxer, with 14 career victories, including six knockouts and six defeats.
“If somebody does something to an innocent person, yeah, we encourage them to come forward because that’s their only outlet,” Saunders said. “Stop Snitchin’ is for the guys, the so-called gangsters, the so-called wanna-be-hard, who are shooting at people, carrying guns, getting caught with guns and still are allowed to walk the street because they provide information to the police.”